When the REI Co-op Traverse bear canister hit the cabinets this yr, it modified the sport for anybody who camps or backpacks in bear nation. Conventional bear-resistant meals canisters come in numerous sizes, requiring a number of cans for journeys of varied distances or forcing you to hold a bigger measurement than you want for a complete journey.
The distinctive modular design of the brand new REI Co-op Traverse bear canister gives two sizes in a single product. Use the smaller 6.75-liter configuration for shorter journeys or mix two sections for the complete 11.25-liter measurement—appropriate for multiday journeys. As your meals provide decreases, nest one part of the canister into the opposite to liberate pack house.
The canister is manufactured from sturdy, bear-tested polycarbonate that’s translucent, so clients can simply see their meals. And its vivid orange coloration makes it simpler to identify even in the dead of night. (Bears scent meals lengthy earlier than they see it.)
“We targeted on making this new canister design as intuitive and as simple because it probably could possibly be,” says Nate Bullock, a senior product designer at REI.
Bear examined, human authorised
REI Co-op designers thought out—and examined—each function of the can to make sure that bears stayed out whereas backpackers might simply get in.
“We did two totally different sorts of analysis methodologies for the bear canister,” explains Bryan Jackler, REI product researcher. One check concerned individuals. The opposite one concerned bears.
Preliminary testing with individuals centered on ease of use and performance of the modular system. The crew used prototypes that they created with a 3D printer. “The canister was the primary giant product we ever printed on a 1-to-1 scale,” explains Devin Paschke, supervisor of engineering and product improvement for REI and the mind behind the bear canister.
The crew despatched these prototypes into the sector with testers—although not in bear territory—and used the suggestions to make enhancements. After a number of 3D-printed prototypes and extra testing, they created a sturdy polycarbonate canister prepared for the most important problem but: reside grizzly bears.
Spherical No. 1
Early one morning in September 2023, Paschke, Bullock and Dave Gardner, REI senior check engineer, drove to the Washington State College Bear Heart in Pullman to get their product licensed. The Bear Heart and its resident grizzly bears recurrently check gadgets like coolers, dumpsters and rubbish cans for bearproofing effectiveness.
To be licensed bear-resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC), a product should stand up to at the very least one hour of lively bear interplay with out the animals gaining entry. Rolling or dragging the canister doesn’t rely as lively time, says Gardner. Biting, clawing, throwing and different maneuvers, nonetheless, do.
The grizzlies have been launched right into a pen space with a canister stuffed with temptations like donuts, honey, kibble and Twinkies. “They took the canister onto the exhausting dust, the grassy floor and the concrete and simply beat it up, throwing it towards logs, the partitions, no matter,” says Paschke. “Some used brute muscle. Some used what the Bear Heart calls ‘chest compressions,’ and a few have been biters, utilizing their tooth.”
One bear submerged the canister in a trough of water. That precipitated honey to seep out, Bullock says, however possible additionally added weight to create an excellent greater influence when thrown.
One other bear took the canister into its den, a roughly 10×10 cinderblock room. She stood on hind legs and threw it into the wall so exhausting it bounced off and hit one other.
“It didn’t break. It didn’t crack,” says Gardner. “That was a extremely cool factor to see. Simply a kind of issues the place you understand how highly effective these animals are.”
In the course of the first check in 2023, nonetheless, one practically 400-pound grizzly named Kio punctured the higher corners of the lid.
The canister failed. The bears received.
No holes could possibly be bigger than one-quarter inch, says Gardner. Persistent bears can flip small holes into greater ones, in order that model failed to satisfy IGBC requirements, he says.
Again to the drafting board
After analyzing the injury from that check, the co-op crew refined the design. The bears had been capable of get a very good deal with on the lid with their tooth, Gardner says. So, the crew targeted on modifying the lid in addition to the thickness of the fabric.
Again within the lab in Seattle, they even created a metallic probe to imitate the dimensions and form of a bear tooth to measure the drive to puncture the can.
Additionally they adjusted the can’s coloration from inexperienced to vivid orange after noticing how a lot the canister blended into the grass throughout the first bear assessments, Bullock says.
In June 2024, the co-op crew returned with a stronger prototype for a second trial run. Due to the modular design, each the smaller configuration and the bigger measurement needed to be individually examined.
This time, the canister received.
Even Kio, the bear who bit into the canister the primary time round, couldn’t defeat this model.
“I bear in mind watching the clock with seconds ticking by,” says Bullock, as a wave of aid poured over him. “I used to be pondering, ‘Hallelujah!”
Extra suggestions
That wasn’t the tip of testing, although.
The product testing crew despatched the bear-approved canister out with professional backpackers on day and in a single day journeys. After practically 30 trials, the backpackers evaluated it in a variety of temperatures and climates.
“Individuals actually liked how the can was modular,” says Jackler. “This can be a little little bit of a sport changer, one thing that they hadn’t seen earlier than.” Some individuals felt the canister was barely heavy however although the modularity was value that additional little bit of weight, he provides.
Testers favored the high-visibility coloration. “That orange actually stands out,” says Jackler.
How the two-in-one modular design works
The 2-in-one bear canister consists of three essential items that work collectively in a modular design for various meals storage wants. The threaded lid screws onto the center piece when utilizing the canister in its giant measurement. Or screw it onto the underside piece when utilizing the canister in its smaller configuration. Within the smaller measurement, the center piece stacks seamlessly outdoors of the underside part. The system nests neatly—and conveniently—collectively.
The user-friendly design incorporates two metallic push buttons which might be simple to function with out instruments. To open the canister, press down on button No. 1 and twist the lid till it stops. Then press the tab marked No. 2 and proceed unscrewing the lid to open. (Remember to watch the video for tips about methods to open it.)
The purpose was to make it as snug and simple to make use of as attainable for a variety of customers, together with individuals with smaller palms or these sporting gloves, says Bullock, who guided the usability and aesthetic design features of the canister. “We deliberately included clear directions and visible cues on each the product itself and the stow sack, figuring out that the canister’s distinctive modular design can be unfamiliar to many customers,” says Bullock.
The included carry bag options printed directions to open, shut and convert the canister between sizes. The carry bag’s measurement will be adjusted too. It’s reflective for visibility underneath a flashlight or headlamp. Lash loops make it simple to connect on the skin of a backpack, to the webbing on a raft or through carabiner and strap in a kayak.
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